God's Glory Church

It’s no secret that there is a war going on in Ukraine today. A war that can not only change the fate of our people, but also the fate of many other countries and peoples. I’m not exaggerating. The war that Ukraine is facing today is not just physical aggression from our neighbor – it is, first of all, spiritual aggression and informational aggression!

We all know very well one of the truths that Scripture tells us about: “for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in high places.” (Eph.6:12)

This is one of those truths that we learn about almost from the first days of our spiritual life. At first we simply encounter this and cannot explain it to ourselves, but over time, having experienced more than one spiritual battle in our lives, we already know that this is part of our walk with God. But what we may not always realize is that spiritual warfare is not just for individuals, but for entire countries and peoples. Today we, as a country, are experiencing precisely a spiritual battle for our people and for our spiritual freedom. The question is not so much an attack on Crimea and the threat of an attack on the rest of Ukraine, the question is do we understand the scale of this battle and will we, as a church, begin to actively fight in it?

God in his word repeatedly reveals to us pictures of how the greatest armies of their time lost battles without firing a shot and all that decided the outcome of these battles was the correct understanding of God’s people of their responsibility to stand in prayer and intercession for their people and for God’s victory:

“And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: Lord of hosts, God of Israel, who sits on the Cherubim! You alone are the God of all the kingdoms of the earth; You created heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; Open, O Lord, Thy eyes and behold, and hear the words of Sennacherib, who sent to reproach You, the living God… And Isaiah, the son of Amoz, sent to Hezekiah to say: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: for what did you pray to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria – this is the word that the Lord spoke about him: the virgin daughter of Zion will despise you, will laugh at you, The daughter of Jerusalem will shake her head after you. Whom have you reproached and reviled?… Because of your insolence against Me and because your arrogance has reached My ears, I will put My ring in your nostrils and My bit in your mouth, and I will bring you back the same way you came.” (Isaiah 37:15-17, 21-23, 29)

In this passage of scripture we see only one of many victories, which was won not on the battlefield, not in the battle of two armies, but by kneeling before God in fasting and prayer. This is a vivid example of understanding the importance of spiritual warfare and the understanding that battles are fought not just for the fate of people, but also for entire nations. Hezekiah clearly understood this, the prophet Isaiah also understood this, Moses and Joshua understood this, the judges of Israel – Gideon and Jephthah understood this, Esther and Mordechai, Daniel and Nehemiah, Christ and the Apostle Paul clearly understood this. Today is the time to realize the importance of spiritual warfare for you and me!

“For this purpose take on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and, having done everything, to stand… Pray at all times with every prayer and petition in the Spirit, and be diligent about this with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…”(Eph. 6:13-21)

We have only two choices today – give up and decide that we have no influence on anything, or accept the battle, entering into spiritual warfare for the fate of our people, as well as for the fate of those countries and peoples whom we, as a nation, are called to serve. I believe in God’s victory! I believe that the time of miracles has not stopped and unusual news and joyful news still await us, because the One who is in us is much greater than the one who is trying to reign in this world!

“And to him who, by the power that works within us, is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, to him be glory in the church in Christ Jesus to all generations, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Pastor Alexander Koltukov.